Extortion, control of halls lead to clashes
The BCL men occupy 50 to 100 seats at every hall and turn some rooms into their political offices. They "rent" other occupied rooms out to students at Tk 100 to Tk 1,200 per month
Leadership crisis and disputes over extortion money and "seat business" at student dormitories led to frequent clashes between Bangladesh Chhatra League factions at Rajshahi University since January this year.(The Daily Star)
After RU unit BCL President Awal Kabir Joy and General Secretary Majedul Islam Opu had assumed the posts in late January, their followers were locked in factional clashes over 10 times.Both the factions gathered huge caches of weapons, including around 40 firearms, in their bids to establish supremacy on the campus.
With the authorities and law enforcers turning a blind eye, the BCL men do not even spare the teachers. They assaulted the proctor, a number of provosts and house tutors and a police official.Speaking anonymously, a provost said around 700 students were forced to leave their dormitories recently as the armed cadres collect toll between Tk 200 and Tk 1,200 from each resident student and beat them up for refusal.
Sources say Joy group has full control over Sher-e-Bangla AK Fazlul Haque, Nawab Abdul Latif, Sayed Amir Ali and Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman halls, while Opu group controls Hossain Shaheed Suhrawardi, Shaheed Habibur Rahman and Ziaur Rahman halls. Moreover, both the groups jointly control four other halls on the campus.
The BCL men occupy 50 to 100 seats at every hall and turn some rooms into their political offices. They "rent" other occupied rooms out to students at Tk 100 to Tk 1,200 per month. Joy, despite being a resident of Sayed Amir Ali Hall, has been illegally occupying the room no 233 at Bangabandhu Hall since mid-March after driving out the real residents. "Both Joy and Opu are so inefficient that they have no control over their followers. As a result, our repeated warning did not work at all," city unit Awami League acting general secretary Shafikur Rahman Badsha told The Daily Star.He also blamed the university authorities for favouring one group against the other keeping alive their rivalry. He blasted the central BCL unit for not approving the fully-fledged RU committee.
Rajshahi Metropolitan Police Commissioner M Nawsher Ali said they are playing their role properly as per the government's directives. Replying to a question, he said, "Normally we cannot recover hidden arms cache as the cadres run away sensing police raid."He said they have already arrested Opu and are looking for others involved in crimes and illegal activities.
Asked if the authorities have failed to disarm BCL on the campus, Proctor Chowdhury Mohammad Jakaria said, "It is not true that the authorities are silent to BCL activities. We are trying our best."On the allegations of taking seat rent at halls, he said, "We haven't yet got any complaints in this regard."
Before his arrest, Opu told this correspondent, "Some untoward incidents are occurring as some BCL men feel insecure on the campus and apprehend attacks by Shibir cadres anytime."Asked about his room at Bangabandhu Hall, Joy said, "My fellow students have willingly kept me there."
http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=150002
After RU unit BCL President Awal Kabir Joy and General Secretary Majedul Islam Opu had assumed the posts in late January, their followers were locked in factional clashes over 10 times.Both the factions gathered huge caches of weapons, including around 40 firearms, in their bids to establish supremacy on the campus.
With the authorities and law enforcers turning a blind eye, the BCL men do not even spare the teachers. They assaulted the proctor, a number of provosts and house tutors and a police official.Speaking anonymously, a provost said around 700 students were forced to leave their dormitories recently as the armed cadres collect toll between Tk 200 and Tk 1,200 from each resident student and beat them up for refusal.
Sources say Joy group has full control over Sher-e-Bangla AK Fazlul Haque, Nawab Abdul Latif, Sayed Amir Ali and Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman halls, while Opu group controls Hossain Shaheed Suhrawardi, Shaheed Habibur Rahman and Ziaur Rahman halls. Moreover, both the groups jointly control four other halls on the campus.
The BCL men occupy 50 to 100 seats at every hall and turn some rooms into their political offices. They "rent" other occupied rooms out to students at Tk 100 to Tk 1,200 per month. Joy, despite being a resident of Sayed Amir Ali Hall, has been illegally occupying the room no 233 at Bangabandhu Hall since mid-March after driving out the real residents. "Both Joy and Opu are so inefficient that they have no control over their followers. As a result, our repeated warning did not work at all," city unit Awami League acting general secretary Shafikur Rahman Badsha told The Daily Star.He also blamed the university authorities for favouring one group against the other keeping alive their rivalry. He blasted the central BCL unit for not approving the fully-fledged RU committee.
Rajshahi Metropolitan Police Commissioner M Nawsher Ali said they are playing their role properly as per the government's directives. Replying to a question, he said, "Normally we cannot recover hidden arms cache as the cadres run away sensing police raid."He said they have already arrested Opu and are looking for others involved in crimes and illegal activities.
Asked if the authorities have failed to disarm BCL on the campus, Proctor Chowdhury Mohammad Jakaria said, "It is not true that the authorities are silent to BCL activities. We are trying our best."On the allegations of taking seat rent at halls, he said, "We haven't yet got any complaints in this regard."
Before his arrest, Opu told this correspondent, "Some untoward incidents are occurring as some BCL men feel insecure on the campus and apprehend attacks by Shibir cadres anytime."Asked about his room at Bangabandhu Hall, Joy said, "My fellow students have willingly kept me there."
http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=150002
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